News and Journals

I think we need to print a journal like the Elders Journal where people can submit articles.

Not everything has to be put into the scriptures (obviously)…that should be the cream of the crop (even if it is not all perfect in scriptures).

And also, there should be something that helps medium-level-interest stuff avoid getting lost in the big repository of the archives online. Everything should go in the archives, but some gems should be put in a journal and passed around.

Conference reports and transcripts are an easy starting point.

I really think we need a separate site that includes news, voting polls (on a tab with login maybe), and conference reports (transcripts), and maybe a journal with writing submissions, even if it is just an electronic pdf that people can print on their own. Then, that all gets backed up in the restoration archives.(You hide the archives in the back of the library so it doesn’t clutter the hot items in the stacks.)

It could even be the permanent conference website, so the upcoming conference(s) are tab(s) and you won’t have to create a brand new website for each conference.

Since we’re a collective community with no leaders, you can have people submit their writings to a preliminary place and anyone can review and vote yes or no to including it in the journal for publication. Since it’s a low stakes publication, and not the scriptures, a majority vote after a set amount of time can let someone’s writings pass muster and get published to the group with special status as something worth reading. Otherwise, it gets sent to the archives and people can look it up there.

That just makes it all based on persuasive power gauged by the whole community’s interest…and helps us avoid being flooded with stuff to consider, but archiving everything so no gems fall through the cracks.

You know, maybe eventually we’ll get better at determining if anything someone submits (other than Denver) is scripture-worthy. But, this way we get to vet things in advance without such a high-stakes commitment. It’s possible the majority would reject something that came from the Lord, but again, it will be there in the archives to be brought up at a later time when hearts are softened.

And, this isn’t to suggest that submissions are only of the type that claims: “thus saith the Lord,” it could be writings, teachings, proposals, projects, news, thoughts, musings, art, literature, fiction, poetry, music, hymns, etc.

Beyond the Guide and Standard, this would show our hearts to the world. It would illustrate all the diversity of thought, talents, and inspiration. Instead of the skeleton of principles, it would show the lifeblood of the community, hopefully as uplifted by the Lord’s influence.

It just might draw our hearts closer together, too, to see what we are all coming up with, located in one spot.

Plus, it’s not of the nature of needing the Lord to command us before we do it…its just going about doing good of our own free will. There isn’t any command against it.

I am extremely swamped and couldn’t set this up myself, but the idea is out there. Feel free to run with it.